SUBSTANTIVE REPRESENTATION OF WOMEN: THE CASE OF SERBIA
SUBSTANTIVE REPRESENTATION OF WOMEN: THE CASE OF SERBIA

Summary/Abstract: Substantive representation of women has received much attention in the research on representation since the 1980s. However, that research was mainly focused on Latin America and Western Europe, while the Western Balkans remained understudied. This paper aims to contribute to the research on the substantive representation of women in Serbia by examining the substantive representation of women in the Serbian parliament in the five chosen convocations, aiming to explore which MPs (men or women) act in the interests of women and which interests are represented. To answer this question, the quantitative content analysis of the parliamentary debates in the Serbian parliament in the selected years is performed. The main findings from the research indicate that male MPs tend to advocate for the interests of women more than female MPs. However, women are more likely to speak on the topic when participating in the debates. Furthermore, it can be observed that the traditional interests of women dominate the discourse on the substantive representation of women, mainly revolving around the category of family and childcare.

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